


Wedded!

by cian1675



Category: GOT7
Genre: Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, M/M, basically Jinyoung and Yugyeom are filming a show where they pretend to be married, but for gay couples instead of straight ones, kind of a We Got Married AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-08-10 19:25:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7858042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cian1675/pseuds/cian1675
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jinyoung's a 30 year old actor, but he's nowhere near famous. In fact, don't even mention being famous, he's not even really an actor because he's not been getting any roles lately. That's why when his manager suggests (insists) that he accept an offer for a show where they put celebrities in pretend marriages, Jinyoung agrees, even if he thinks the whole thing is ridiculous. But pretend marriage isn't the only ridiculous thing. No. It's who his pretend husband is.</p><p>Yes, <i>husband</i>. Because of course, why would his manager make him go on a normal show like We Got Married? He won't get popular that way. He has to go on Wedded!, the first pretend gay marriage show for celebrities who may or may not be gay (but who cares, right?). But a pretend husband isn't the thing that's ridiculous -</p><p>It's the fact that it's Kim Yugyeom, member of the ever famous idol group HOT5.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ep. 1: The first meeting

Jinyoung’s rubbing his hands together, trying to get some warmth in his frozen fingers. It doesn’t really work, so he hops a few times, regretting not bringing heat packs earlier. It’s been 15 minutes already. 15 minutes during which his pretend husband is supposed to turn up, but hasn’t. It wasn’t like he had been looking forward to the first filming day to begin with, but this really just made it worse. He swallows his sigh, aware of the crew filming him, and attempts a couple of jumping jacks to bring up his body temperature.

 

 

_“Do I really have to do this?” Jinyoung splutters. It’s unrefined, but that’s just how shocked he is, having heard what job his manager has just accepted._

_“Yes,” his manager says with a sigh. “I know it’s pretty ridiculous, but you’ve not been getting any jobs lately, not even small acting roles, and this is the only thing we have. Hell, you might even rise in popularity if things go well.”_

_“Rub it in my face, why don’t you,” Jinyoung mumbles. “Fine. I’ll do it. It’s only for 10 episodes right?”_

_Flipping through the contract, his manager says, “Well, the contract is for 10 episodes, but you can renew it if both of you agree to it.”_

_It’s such a ridiculous suggestion – even more ridiculous than the job itself – that Jinyoung snorts. “Like hell that’ll happen.”_

 

 

It’s been 20 minutes, and nothing he’s done so far has managed to stave off the cold. Whoever his pretend husband is, Jinyoung will have to dig deep into his heart for patience to appear warm and welcoming for the cameras. Then again, his face has been chilled to the point where he can hardly move, so maybe it won’t show his annoyance anyway. He paces around some more, futile as it is, just for something to do. It’s probably on his twentieth round about the same bare tree that Jinyoung hears the crunch of boots on snow, and he halts. The PD has already explained to him earlier that he’s not supposed to just turn around and greet his pretend husband. This is a variety show after all, and they need to create suspense. So Jinyoung keeps his back turned to the new arrival, fidgeting slightly as he slides his hands out from his pockets so he won’t appear rude.

“Who do you think I am?”

The question is asked in an artificially high pitched voice and Jinyoung has to resist the urge to roll his eyes. The guy, his fake husband, whoever, has probably watched too much We Got Married (not that Jinyoung isn’t guilty of that himself, as an actor who has a lot of free time). Whatever. He can play along.

“I don’t know, you have a very… interesting voice. Are you perhaps… a singer?”

“Wow, how’d you guess?” This is said in a normal voice, like the speaker had forgotten that he had been using the high-pitched girly voice earlier because he’s genuinely surprised. Honestly, Jinyoung had just randomly guessed. He hadn’t expected to get it right on the first try. Rubbing his hands together again, he says, “Can I turn around now? I got the answer right.”

“Hmm,” his pretend husband says, “I wanted to play this game longer, but you look really cold. Turn around then, if you want to.”

Jinyoung numbly moves his feet, dragging out the moment until he sets eyes onto his pretend husband for the next 10 episodes. It’s not entirely intentional; he has a legitimate excuse of being cold to his bones. Either way, it seems to please the camera director, who gives a thumbs up and Jinyoung continues his movement, keeping his eyes on the ground until he’s fully facing the other guy. The first thing he notices is how shiny the guy’s boots are. The second is that it’s a brand that easily costs 800,000won (he’s not envious, of course not). Jinyoung takes a deep breath before he raises his head. When he finally sees the man in front of him, his heart nearly skips a beat.

“Kim Yugyeom-ssi?”

“Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Yugyeom. You don’t have to address me so formally, Jinyoung-ssi. We’re getting married, aren’t we?” Yugyeom’s smiling at him after the first bow, face entirely pleasant. Jinyoung reminds himself that the cameras are still rolling, that this is a show, and even if they don’t have strict scripts, he’s an actor. He can do this.

“Hi, nice to meet you too, I’m Jinyoung. I didn’t know who I’ll be getting for my husband, but… _wow_.”

There, he sounds appropriately surprised, instead of just rudely shocked. If only they knew how much acting Park Jinyoung can do, he thinks, slightly bitter that this is where he’s putting his acting skills to use.

“I didn’t know who they’ll pair me up with either,” Yugyeom laughs in response to his surprised exclamation. “It’s a pleasant surprise that I’ll be on this show with you!”

Jinyoung gives a small smile before saying, “Sorry to say this so suddenly, but I’m really _really_ cold, can we move our conversation someplace warmer?”

“Ah yes, of course! Shall we find a café?”

 

 

Jinyoung’s sipping his warm latte when Yugyeom says, “Your hands look really cold. Do you want a heat pack?”

He’s already been holding his mug, waiting for the coffee’s heat to seep in, but 25 minutes in the outdoors waiting really took a toll on his hands. Jinyoung nods slightly. He expects Yugyeom to hand him a white rectangle of warmth, but Yugyeom doesn’t reach into his pockets. Instead, he presses his own hands against Jinyoung’s.

“What?”

“Your ears are turning red, Jinyoung-ssi,” Yugyeom says softly. After a beat, he adds, “It’s kind of cute.”

Jinyoung blinks for a moment, forgetting that he’s in a café with cameras, because his mouth opens before he has time to consider what he’s going to say. “I’m not a girl.”

“I never said you were,” Yugyeom answers evenly, although his mouth is slightly quirked. “Also, it should be pretty obvious that you’re not, because this show is only for same sex couples, right?”

Of course. How could he forget? His manager had explained the show’s concept to him yet again on the drive to the shoot earlier this morning, as if he’ll forget such an important thing. Wedded! has the same concept as We Got Married, the popular show where they put celebrities in fake marriages to watch their interactions, except Wedded! only has same sex couples, in a bid to promote inclusiveness now that the industry is becoming more accepting of gay and lesbian celebrities. It’s a new show, and Jinyoung and Yugyeom are in fact the first couple they managed to cast. It was one of the reasons his manager had insisted he take the job, because being one of the first to appear on such a potentially controversial show will definitely bring publicity, whether good or bad. And Jinyoung needs publicity now, no matter what sort, because he hasn’t had an acting offer in the last two months.

Reorganizing his thoughts before he speaks this time, Jinyoung says, “I meant, shouldn’t a 30 year old man be anything but cute? You should leave that adjective for younger girls.”

Yugyeom chuckles, the sound a rich deep one that reverberates through the room, “Well, you may think that, but I can still think you’re cute. And I can still call you cute.”

Jinyoung’s tempted to say “Don’t”, but he catches the expectant faces of the crew behind, so he just gives a small sigh, “Fine.”

His hands are still under Yugyeom’s, and Jinyoung stares at them for a moment, before he says, “I’m sufficiently warm now, thank you.”

Yugyeom takes the hint and removes his hands without complaining. His easy manner makes Jinyoung pout without realizing. The next thing he knows, Yugyeom’s saying, “You’re the _tsundere_ type, aren’t you? Gruff and unfriendly on the outside, but really a softie on the inside.”

The statement is a bit too familiar, and Jinyoung has to bite his lower lip to keep himself from sprouting his reflexive response. Figuring he might as well craft a tsundere image early on if it’ll work to make the show more entertaining (and bring him publicity), Jinyoung turns the lip biting into a cute pout, playing it up slightly. “Shouldn’t we introduce ourselves to each other properly first?”

Not commenting on his sudden change of topic, Yugyeom just says, “Hmm, I already know a bit about you.” His eyes are looking far off into the space behind Jinyoung. There’s no hints of anything on his face except the chic pretend husband he’s supposed to be, so Jinyoung doesn’t know if he means what he’s saying. Either way, Yugyeom continues, “You’re an actor, right? I’ve seen you in some of the morning dramas.”

“I’m… surprised you’ve seen them,” Jinyoung says. He actually is. “What about you? I know you’re from an idol group, but you should tell me more about yourself.”

“I’m an idol from a group called HOT5. We debuted 7 years ago. And despite how we look, we’re actually all pretty old now. My 27 year old knees can’t take the same dancing I used to do. So nowadays I mostly appear on variety shows and choreograph dances for other groups.”

Yugyeom answers with almost practiced ease, and Jinyoung can’t help noticing that Yugyeom hadn’t mentioned that he shouldn’t really have to introduce himself because HOT5 is pretty famous. Even old grandmothers on the streets know who HOT5 is, let alone Jinyoung who’s actually in the industry, even if he’s not particularly famous.

“How’s your dance? Can you... show me?”

It’s a strange request, to ask Yugyeom to dance in the café, but Jinyoung thinks it might be good for the show, bring up the entertainment value and all that sort of shenanigans. Yugyeom, as per his amicable self, just stands up and announces that he needs music. The camera crew motions for Jinyoung to find some music on his phone, so he follows. He’s the one who asked for the dance, after all, even if he hadn’t exactly wanted to see it. When the music plays, Yugyeom starts dancing, something fluid and flowing. His moves are still as smooth as ever, and Jinyoung hits stop on the music before it even plays for 30 seconds.

“That’s good, you can still dance really well, eh?” Jinyoung says, a little too enthusiastically, to gloss over the fact that he had accidentally (on purpose) turned the music off.

“Thank you for thinking that,” Yugyeom smiles, not even slightly out of breath. He looks at Jinyoung for long enough that Jinyoung has to turn away slightly. After a while, Yugyeom grins, teeth showing, “Hmm, might you have stopped the music prematurely because you were worried for my knees?”

A bark of dry laughter escapes him, and Jinyoung quickly covers it up by saying, “Uh, maybe?” Given the way the crew hasn’t tried to stop him, he figures his behavior still passes off as an awkward first meeting interaction. He needs to watch his responses more carefully because it might not be so easy to pass things off next time. Jinyoung puts on a timid smile, and is surprised to see Yugyeom hold a hand out.

“Wanna dance with me?”

His genuine response is “Hell no” but this time Jinyoung manages to swallow that and deliver the appropriate line. “Only if you teach me.”

 

This is terribly awkward, Jinyoung thinks the moment the cameras switch off. He’s just danced some strange moves that he can’t really remember under Yugyeom’s instructions, and even got twirled around like some princess in a fairy tale because Yugyeom’s leading when it comes to dancing, and the guy knows it, takes advantage of it, all while giving a charming smile of innocence.

“Thank you for the good work,” Jinyoung says, bowing politely to the crew, before walking off to find his manager. He doesn’t speak to Yugyeom now that the cameras aren’t rolling. It’s not that he’s trying to be rude, but he just doesn’t really know what to do. Why did Yugyeom have to be his pretend husband? He hadn’t expected Yugyeom. He really hadn’t. He’ll rather have Mark, Yugyeom’s group mate, even if Mark had publicly declared that he’s gay and got some backlash for it (the industry’s becoming more inclusive, but it’s still a far from being completely progressive). Heck, he’ll take anyone else in HOT5, just not Yugyeom. Why did his pretend marriage have to be with Yugyeom of all people?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write a pretend marriage and this happened? Lol. Apparently I like to write Yugnior/Jingyeom fics eh. This is my third fic for them already. 
> 
> Anyway, WGM is a guilty pleasure of mine that I watch time to time even if I often find the stuff they do ridiculous. Who even dates like that? Who buys presents and craft elaborate surprises all the time? Not married couples, maybe dating couples... But that's not the point, because clearly there's something in watching fake couples do over-the-top stuff for each other, and also do random domestic things in a shared house so I inferred that there's probably merit in writing this pretend marriage fic. Lol. But, me being me, I couldn't keep it as simple as just that, so now you have to guess why Jinyoung is surprised/shocked that his pretend husband is Yugyeom. I hope that keeps the dynamics interesting, although there will probably also be a lot of the dating stuff they do on fake marriage programs. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll love to know what you think :)
> 
> P.S.: HOT5 hehehehe. (I'm so lame lol)


	2. Ep. 1.5: The actual first meeting

Jinyoung’s walked off the moment the cameras switched off, and Yugyeom’s left facing the crew alone. He quickly thanks everyone for their work, and heads off from the corner of the café. He doesn’t bother trying to find Jinyoung, because he knows he’s probably hiding from him. It’s what Jinyoung’s always done in the past anyway, his immediate reaction to things he doesn’t understand.

 

 

_Yugyeom’s seated on the floor of the dance studio, t-shirt plastered against his back from the intense practice earlier. Everyone has left to get lunch, but he pushed himself too hard just now, so he’s still in the room, stretching out his legs, hoping he’ll be good enough to still dance later. He’s leaning forward when the door click opens, and Jaebum, one of the older trainees, walks in with a new guy he’s never seen before._

_“Hi Yugyeom, there’s a new trainee, he just got here. Can I trouble you to show him around? I need to go off so I can’t bring him myself.”_

_New trainees come in often enough, and even if Yugyeom’s usually too young to be the one bringing them around, he’s definitely familiar enough with the company to guide a new guy, so he tells Jaebum okay. Jaebum gives a bright thanks and leaves almost immediately, leaving Yugyeom to talk to the new guy, whose name he doesn’t even know yet. Figuring he can take the initiative, Yugyeom wipes his damp hands on his pants before he sticks it out, “Hey, I’m Yugyeom. I’ve been a trainee for a year so far. What’s your name?”_

_The boy in front of him gives a slightly wide-eyed look of surprise, before saying, “I’m Jinyoung, I just joined today,” although he doesn’t take Yugyeom’s offered hand._

_Yugyeom retracts it, quickly moving it to rest on his legs like he hadn’t really meant to give a handshake earlier._ Whatever _, right? He then takes a second to assess the guy in front of him. The new trainee, Jinyoung, has a serious face, although it reads more as neutral than grumpy. When he was walking through the door with Jaebum earlier, Yugyeom had noticed that Jinyoung is just slightly shorter than Jaebum. The general serious air surrounding the guy and his relatively tall built makes Yugyeom think Jinyoung is probably around Jaebum’s age. He chucks that thought aside though, because he suddenly realizes he might have taken too long to reply, so he hurriedly says, “Park Jinyoung? You have the same name as our CEO?”_

_It isn’t the most exciting reply, and Yugyeom winces inwardly when Jinyoung gives an awkward smile in response. “Yeah hyung, I know. Jaebum hyung said the same thing earlier.”_

_Yugyeom’s still berating himself in his head for his lame reply so he doesn’t immediately register what Jinyoung had just said. “Wait…’hyung’? Did you just call me hyung?” Yugyeom scans Jinyoung again, wondering if the guy is younger than he had initially assumed, because he’s calling him ‘hyung’. Sure, Yugyeom’s one of the taller trainees here, but he’s only 16, making him one of the younger ones around even if he looks like he’s 19 like Jaebum. He looks at Jinyoung, who hasn’t replied, asking, “Jinyoung, what year were you born in?”_

_“…’94. Why? How old are you?”_

_“Uh,” Yugyeom says, scratching his hair, feeling awkward now, “I’m a ’97 born. So you should be the hyung actually...” He trails off, not entirely sure what to say, and vaguely wonders if he should laugh to diffuse the tension from the misunderstanding._

_Jinyoung doesn’t say a word, just ducks his head, letting his fringe fall over his eyes. He’s clearly embarrassed, because the tips of his ears are turning red, and Yugyeom can see it even from where he’s sitting. Jinyoung covers his face with both hands before he mumbles, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume you were that old, I just thought…”_

_“Uh, it’s fine. I know I’m tall and look older than my age,” Yugyeom offers, trying to comfort the guy. “Don’t worry about it, hyung.”_

_Maybe using the word hyung at this point was a bad idea, because if Jinyoung was embarrassed before, he’s even more so now. The flush has travelled from his ears to his cheeks and neck, and he’s slumping slightly. Before Yugyeom can say anything else, Jinyoung turns on his heels and bolts for the door._

_It takes a few seconds seated in the empty room by himself for Yugyeom to register that not only did his first conversation with the new trainee not gone well,  he had also managed to lose the guy when he’s supposed to be taking care of him. Exhaling a large breath, Yugyeom gets up to find Jinyoung, hoping he won’t mess up the duty Jaebum had entrusted upon him earlier._

That first time Jinyoung had run away from him, Yugyeom had ended up searching the whole building to look for him, eventually finding Jinyoung seated in a corner by the stairs on a different floor. But at that time, Yugyeom had a responsibility for Jinyoung. This time, right now, Yugyeom doesn’t have any ties to Jinyoung – hasn’t had any, in a while – except for their pretend marriage on screen. He doesn’t have an excuse to be chasing after Jinyoung’s disappearing back, especially not when they’re off cameras.  So he doesn’t.

It doesn’t stop him from wanting to though.

Yugyeom rubs his eyes tiredly, worrying a second too late that he might smudge whatever eyeliner they’ve put on him. He’ll never stop forgetting that his face isn’t his to touch whenever he wishes to even after years of being an idol. Giving up on the rubbing even though he might have already messed up his makeup, Yugyeom closes his eyes instead, wondering if this is what’s going to happen after every filming. Will Jinyoung act nice and cordial when the cameras are rolling, but resume being distant and unreachable once the cameras turn off? Will Yugyeom have to endure this for ten episodes? Maybe it had been a bad idea to say that he would go on the show only if they managed to cast Jinyoung for his partner, Yugyeom thinks, although it’s too late to take that back. They’re already here, and the news that he’ll be filming Wedded! with Jinyoung had already been announced a few days ago.

Sighing, Yugyeom motions for his makeup noona to come and fix his eyeliner. He doesn’t have time to dwell on this. He still has an individual interview portion to film.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is kind of short, and it doesn't exactly answer the question of how Yugyeom and Jinyoung know each other, but it does give you a bit of a *hint* ;) Plus, it's from Yugyeom's pov. 
> 
> Also, this is technically episode 1.5 so it isn't actually the proper "show". Lol. The next chapter should be longer since it's episode 2 proper, hope you'll look forward to that :)


	3. Ep. 2: The first date

_“So, Yugyeom, can you tell us why you agreed to do this program? It’s not exactly a show with an easy concept, putting two same sex celebrities together as a married couple, and I’m sure, as an idol, it must have been difficult to make the choice to come on such a show.  But I heard you agreed almost immediately once you got the offer. Any reasons why?”_

_Yugyeom stares at the floor for a while, before he looks into the camera. “Well, as some of you might know, I’m from HOT5. One my members, Mark, recently came out as gay to the public. He has always wanted to present himself as truthfully as he can to his fans and the public, which included his sexual orientation. I’m glad he’s able to do that now that he’s 31 years old and HOT5 is established enough as a group. Our fans have been supportive so far, and when I heard about Wedded! and its concept, I thought coming onto the show would help show my support for Mark as well. So when I actually got the offer to appear on the show, I agreed immediately.”_

Part of Yugyeom’s interview from last week had been uploaded as a preview clip for the first episode that is being released tomorrow, and it had gone viral. Jinyoung’s lost count of the number of times he’s been told that he got lucky with who he was paired with for the show, or the number of times he’s been tweeted to by fans (mostly from _HOTTIE5_ , the HOT5 fans) about it. He hadn’t kept up with the social media buzz about it, but his manager had told him on the way to today’s shoot that it’s such a hot topic these few days that Jinyoung’s name is actually one of the popular search terms on Naver and Daum.

“It’s good publicity,” his manager had said. “Maybe we’ll get some acting offers soon.” Jinyoung had nodded in reply, but he had felt numb, not entirely sure why he didn’t (still doesn’t) feel very good about the whole thing. Maybe it’s because he’s just riding off the fame of Kim Yugyeom. Or maybe it’s because he doesn’t have as glamourous a reason why he’s doing this show as Yugyeom did. Or maybe, maybe he’s still not come to terms with the fact that he’s being paired with Yugyeom, a face he hasn’t seen since he was 23.

He tries not to think about it as he nears the area where the cameras are already set up. Jinyoung spots a figure sitting on the bench, probably Yugyeom from the way he sits, slightly slack posture with a head of freshly dyed maroon hair. It was a dark brown the last time they filmed, Jinyoung recalls, not that he had taken the effort to remember. Of course not. He pulls his coat tighter around his body as he walks into the camera’s view, putting on a slight smile.

“Hey.”

“Hey, Jinyoung,” Yugyeom smiles. It makes his face look younger, though he doesn’t really look his 27 years to begin with. In fact, Yugyeom looks almost the same as he did when he was 20. Jinyoung tries not to remember how Yugyeom had looked then, the face he had made the last time Jinyoung had saw him at that age, focusing instead on Yugyeom’s nose so he won’t have to look into his eyes.

“You dyed your hair a different colour,” Jinyoung says, because he figures it’ll be rude to immediately ask what they’re doing today. He picks up a few strands between his fingers without fully realizing what he’s doing, lightly stroking the hair which feels rougher than they look. It’s only when Yugyeom tilts his head up slightly to look at him does Jinyoung realize he’s probably not supposed to just go around touching Yugyeom. Putting the lock of hair down quickly and ignoring how it looks out of place on Yugyeom’s carefully tousled hairdo, Jinyoung mutters, “It’s not good for your hair you know, constantly changing colours.”

There’s a short laugh before Yugyeom replies, “Well, after so many years of bleaching, it just feels rough no matter what I do, even if I leave it undyed.”

Jinyoung thinks that’s the end of it, and he’s getting ready to ask his original question of what they’re doing on the date – this episode of filming, not a date, he corrects – when Yugyeom runs a hand through Jinyoung’s hair. He freezes, until Yugyeom comments, “Yours feels really soft. I guess not drowning your hair in chemicals really does make a difference. Did you always leave your hair black?”

“...I dyed it brown once or twice,” Jinyoung answers after overcoming his surprise, slightly shaking his head so Yugyeom would move his hand. He does. Jinyoung follows the movement of Yugyeom’s hand as it slides away from his head, expecting it to travel to Yugyeom’s pocket for warmth, but instead it is placed in front of him.

“Want to hold hands?”

Jinyoung makes the mistake of glancing into Yugyeom’s eyes instead of keeping his gaze on Yugyeom’s nose, and he almost splutters when he realizes that Yugyeom’s actually asking sincerely. Jinyoung contemplates saying no, thinking he might be able to get away with it if he acts coy for the cameras, but Yugyeom doesn’t give him time to reject, picking Jinyoung’s hand up by himself after there’s no answer for too long. The grip’s strong enough that Jinyoung doesn’t get loose when he tries to pull slightly, and Yugyeom grins.

“Come on, let’s go for our date.”

 

 

_“What do you think about your new husband?” the PD asks from behind the cameras._

_Jinyoung blinks a few times, contemplating his answer before he speaks, “He’s… not who I’ll have expected.” That much is true, at least. He gives a short laugh, trying to diffuse the tension before he adds, “I mean, I’m just surprised that my husband is Yugyeom. He’s really popular and I didn’t think I’ll be paired with someone like that, you know.”_

_He thinks for a bit more, before he says, “He seems caring though, and to be honest he’s quite cute. Shit, did I say cute? I mean good looking. I shouldn’t use the word ‘cute’ on him when I told him not to use it on me, right?”_

They’re in an accessory shop, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what they’re here for.

“Are we getting couple rings?” Jinyoung asks, wondering if Yugyeom had planned today’s date beforehand, because he looks too happy, almost smug. But honestly, even with all his popularity, Yugyeom’s not an arrogant kid, and Jinyoung can’t imagine him being smug, so he assumes it’s just Yugyeom trying to contain his grin. It’s pretty likely, given the way Yugyeom’s excitedly peering at the display here and there, dragging Jinyoung along because he still hasn’t let go of his hand. If it wasn’t so cold, Jinyoung would have gotten damp palms 10 minutes ago, but right now, his hand clasped tightly by Yugyeom’s slightly bigger one just feels nicely warm, and he stuffs his free but much colder hand into his pocket.

“Yes, I wanted something special so we can think of each other even when we’re not filming,” Yugyeom answers, cheeks colouring slightly when he says it. He quickly turns his head away from Jinyoung, bending down to look at a display, but Jinyoung notices the blush anyway. He stares at it for a while.

“You’re so cheesy,” he mumbles, rocking back and forth on his feet because he feels silly saying it. Yugyeom doesn’t answer, although his blush spreads up his ears. Focusing his attention on the perusal of the display, Yugyeom picks up several rings before he finally brings one up to show Jinyoung.

“What do you think of this design?”

It’s a simple silver band with a thin engraved groove down the middle. There’s nothing fancy about it, but maybe that’s the point, because wedding rings aren’t supposed to too fancy since they have to be worn every day, right? Jinyoung takes the ring from Yugyeom’s hand, rolling it over to feel the weight. “If you like it, we’ll take it,” Jinyoung replies. It makes Yugyeom’s face light up, and Jinyoung muffles his laugh when Yugyeom excitedly tells the shop assistant he’ll like two of the rings in their size.

 

 

They’re in a corner of a simple diner, Yugyeom having ordered food once they’ve sat down. Jinyoung had been about to protest that he can order his own items, but Yugyeom had placed an order for bulgogi, something he was going to order himself anyway, so Jinyoung didn’t complain. He does, however, casually mention that he’ll like to order his own food next time.

“Do you not like meat anymore?” Yugyeom asks, face suddenly drawn with concern.

He looks upset, Jinyoung thinks, and he finds himself quickly saying, “No, I still like meat, it’s just… I’ll like to make my own decisions next time, even if it’s about food.”

“Oh,” Yugyeom says, exhaling too obviously as his face relaxes a little. “Alright, we can do that. I just wanted to order something that you’ll like, but I guess it might have come off as being too controlling.” Yugyeom looks down to the table, idly tapping the edge with one fingertip, and Jinyoung wonders if he might have been a bit too harsh earlier. Still, it’s something they have to talk about, so Jinyoung doesn’t regret voicing his opinion. He’s not sure why he’s so concerned about not wanting to hurt Yugyeom’s feelings though, especially when he hadn’t really done anything _mean_ exactly. Deciding the best thing to do at the moment is to change the topic, Jinyoung opts to bring up the rings.

“Ah, yea, do you want to… put them on now?” Yugyeom asks shyly, head slightly bowed, not looking straight at Jinyoung for once.

“Yeah,” Jinyoung answers, not sure what else to add, so he just opens the little paper bag Yugyeom had placed on the table, taking the little boxes out. The rings are securely sitting in the individual boxes, and Jinyoung wonders if they’re supposed to exchange them, the way couples do at the altar. He must have looked confused, because Yugyeom laughs.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Yugyeom replies, the slightest of smiles gracing his lips as he picks one of the rings from the box. Opening his palm, Yugyeom takes Jinyoung’s hand with his other hand, resting it on his opened hand before slipping the ring over Jinyoung’s ring finger without flourish. It’s just a simple metal band against his skin, but Jinyoung feels like there’s some hidden meaning that he doesn’t quite get when he sees Yugyeom give a smile that reaches all the way to his eyes. Jinyoung thinks he might have spent too long keeping quiet while mulling that thought over, and he quickly picks up the ring still in the box, motioning for Yugyeom to give him his hand so he can put the ring on him as well.

 

 

The food arrives quickly, steam still rising from the plate of bulgogi and rice as they’re placed on the table. Jinyoung opens the drawer to find chopsticks and spoons for both of them as Yugyeom arranges the table to accommodate all the food and side dishes. He doesn’t mention it, but Jinyoung notices how Yugyeom deliberately arranges the kimchi and steamed eggs nearer to Jinyoung’s side of the table. He wonders if Yugyeom still remembers that those are his favourite side dishes. It’s not something he can comment on though, not with the cameras rolling, so Jinyoung just hands Yugyeom his utensils.

“Thank you,” Yugyeom says, eyes creasing into crescents, and Jinyoung is suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that he shouldn’t be doing this, shouldn’t be here, pretending to be fake husbands with Yugyeom. His eyes must have shown the panic he felt for a second before he manages to push it down, because Yugyeom leans in, whispering, “Are you… okay?”

It’s said with more meaning than Jinyoung knows how to interpret or what to do with, so he just picks up rice to stuff into his mouth. The hum Jinyoung gives would probably be interpreted as an answer that he’s fine to most people, but the doubt in Yugyeom’s eyes suggest that he’s picked up on Jinyoung’s subtle gestures and expression to know that he’s not really okay. Luckily for Jinyoung, Yugyeom has enough sense to not mention it in front of the cameras, merely picking up a piece of meat to place onto Jinyoung’s rice bowl.

“Eat up! This is one of the best bulgogi I’ve tasted, so I think you’ll like it.”

“Thank you,” Jinyoung says, placing the meat into his mouth and immediately commenting that it’s delicious. It’s what he reflexively does, to be honest, saying that whatever he’s eating is delicious every time he has to eat anything while shooting, but this dish is actually tasty, so he chews for a second before he adds, “Wow, okay, this is actually really good.”

Yugyeom gives him a charming grin, lips stretched wide across his face with eyes curved into crescents. It makes Jinyoung falter for a second, but then Yugyeom’s eyes are opened again, and he quickly recovers himself. Jinyoung watches Yugyeom scoop some rice on a spoon, place a piece of bulgogi neatly on the rice and add a piece of kimchi.

“Ah~”

It’s kind of lame, to be fed at this age, but Jinyoung spots the staff and cameras from the corner of his eyes and remembers that he is in fact here for filming. He’s Jinyoung, just a regular guy, but he’s also Jinyoung, the actor casted as a fake husband on a show with Yugyeom, the idol, and right now Jinyoung knows he can’t afford to be the former. He takes a calming breath to sort out his mental state, before putting on a slight smile and opens his mouth for the spoonful of food offered by Yugyeom.

Chewing on the food, Jinyoung glances at Yugyeom, who’s already looking at his own food and eating. He wonders if he should return the offer and feed Yugyeom as well. Isn’t that what married couples are supposed to do? While he’s mulling over the thought, Yugyeom probably picks up the fact that he has stopped eating, and Jinyoung simultaneously realizes that he must have been staring at Yugyeom while he was contemplating what to do, because Yugyeom has a puzzled look in his eyes.

“Is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“N-nothing,” Jinyoung fumbles, mind immediately associating the line Yugyeom just said with cheesy drama scenes of couples wiping sauce off each other’s lips. He inwardly cringes, then says, “You don’t have anything on your face. I’m just wondering what you like, so I can feed it to you.”

There’s a pause that’s almost unnoticeable if Jinyoung hadn’t been holding his breath, before Yugyeom laughs, “I’ll like anything if you feed it to me.”

Surprised by the statement, Jinyoung finds himself blinking rapidly, mind blank because he doesn’t know how to respond. It must also have been too much for Yugyeom because he suddenly turns an interesting shade of pink, hurriedly covering his face. It makes Jinyoung’s chest feel a little strange, but he pushes the thought aside when Yugyeom mumbles, “Sorry, that was too much, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Jinyoung replies, but then a bark of laughter suddenly escapes, loud enough for him to cover his mouth. It quickly turns into sniggers, making Yugyeom give a lopsided grin, but Jinyoung’s too busy wiping the tears that form in his eyes to see clearly. It’s just as well, because Jinyoung’s not sure how he’ll behave if he properly sees the look Yugyeom’s giving him, all his attention in Jinyoung’s direction like he’s the most important thing around. Quickly settling back into a less giggly mood, Jinyoung picks up his chopsticks to start eating, motioning for Yugyeom to do the same. When Yugyeom follows, Jinyoung takes only a second to pick up a generous serving of bulgogi, waving it in front of Yugyeom’s mouth.

“Open wide.”

It’s not romantic, Jinyoung thinks, because he deliberately smears the gravy onto Yugyeom’s lips when the guy’s about to bite. It’s not romantic, because Yugyeom has to wipe the gravy off with a napkin, frowning slightly at how much mess Jinyoung’s little gesture had made. It’s not romantic, Jinyoung reiterates in his head as Yugyeom looks up with a cheeky grin, but maybe he’s just saying it because if he doesn’t, the urge to run away right now would overcome him.

He stays seated though, finishing the meal in relative normalcy until Yugyeom gets up.

“I’ll pay,” Jinyoung starts, but Yugyeom’s already giving his card to the lady at the counter.

“Don’t worry, I got this.”

It shouldn’t upset him, because Yugyeom’s clearly in a better position to treat, being the idol who’s actually earning money. But Jinyoung’s the hyung, and it should be his duty to pick up the tab. And besides, hadn’t Yugyeom already paid for the rings earlier? He should be the one treating now, Jinyoung thinks. But then again, if he hadn’t been upset about Yugyeom paying for the rings earlier, why is he be upset about Yugyeom paying for the food now? Jinyoung doesn’t know, but he feels the prickles of anger rising in him, and he settles for huffing out of the shop without saying anything before Yugyeom’s done with payment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like the longer chapter. :) It's almost as long as chapters 1 and 2 combined lol. Updates would not be fast because of school but thank you to those who have commented or kudo-ed this fic! 
> 
> Also, HOTTIE as the fan name for HOT5 is from ChelseaJay's comment, and they graciously let me use it here, so I'm crediting the name as due :D. I did modified it to be HOTTIE5 in plural though, because I'm punny.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this, and I'll love to know what you think about it so far!


	4. Ep. 2.5: Meals and payments

Yugyeom’s still waiting to sign for his payment when Jinyoung walks out of the diner without a word, his face almost carefully neutral although Yugyeom can sense the trace of contained annoyance (anger?) underneath. One of the camera men follows Jinyoung out after looking around, confused as to what just suddenly happened, but probably deciding that he shouldn’t let one of the main leads go without being filmed. The nod from the PD suggested he most likely agrees as well.

Still at the counter, Yugyeom watches them disappear into the dim evening streets outside, wondering what’s wrong as he waits for the payment to be completed. He would hurry after Jinyoung to ask, but he doesn’t want their conversation to be captured on film. Maybe he’s being selfish, because after all, isn’t this supposed to be a pretend marriage for television? But Yugyeom can’t help wanting to keep some moments to himself, keep some parts of them private. That thought is interrupted by a polite remark from the counter lady that his payment is done, so Yugyeom turns his attention back to the counter, thanking her for the food and service, then half-walks-half-runs out to find Jinyoung.

 

 

Jinyoung’s standing just a few metres away from the entrance, staring off into nothing as he leans on the shopfront. Yugyeom’s glad he’s not gone too far, and he’s almost going to just ask him what’s wrong but the camera at the side reminds him that they’re not alone. He has to be careful with what he says. Walking slowly over to Jinyoung, Yugyeom ducks his head a little so he doesn’t stand so tall, then softly says, “Hey, is anything wrong?”

Jinyoung turns to look at him, blinking a few times before he mumbles, “I… Next time, I should pay for food, you know. I’m the hyung after all, I should be treating.”

Tilting his head, Yugyeom observes Jinyoung, who’s mostly standing unmoving except for his chest puffing up slightly every time he inhales. After a while, Yugyeom exhales, “If you really want to, sure, you can treat. I just thought since I was the one who suggested coming here and ordered the food, I should pay for the meal.” He was going to end his reply there, since he doesn’t really mind who pays for food, although it seems like Jinyoung does, from what just happened. But the camera’s recording light is a constant spot of brightness in his peripheral vision reminding Yugyeom of their tentative relationship – nothing more than pretend husbands on television – and it prompts him to add, “Anyway, we’re technically married so it shouldn’t matter who pays for what, right?”

Jinyoung doesn’t say anything for a long time, and Yugyeom wonders if he should prompt him, or pretend that’s the end of the conversation and just quickly wrap up today’s shooting so he can ask him about it in private, when Jinyoung mumbles, “…I guess.”

It’s as good an answer as he can get, at least on camera, and Yugyeom smiles, although he knows it doesn’t reach his eyes.

 

 

Jinyoung had disappeared once shooting ended, gone as quickly but much more silently than he did in the first episode, and Yugyeom didn’t get a chance to figure out Jinyoung’s thoughts and behavior beyond the noncommittal answer he had given on camera.

Sighing, Yugyeom sinks into the dorm sofa. It’s currently the morning after the shooting for the second episode of Wedded!, and he doesn’t have any schedule for the day. Squinting at the bright sunlight hitting his face from the window, Yugyeom wonders if he should have tried harder to find Jinyoung immediately after shooting had ended. He’s not sure what Jinyoung’s issue with him paying for the meal had been, although he’s pretty sure that that’s the main reason for Jinyoung’s change in behaviour yesterday.

“What is wrong with me paying for the meal?” Yugyeom asks aloud, to no one in particular, but Mark pokes his head out from the room. Yugyeom had thought he was the only one in the dorm at the moment, but apparently not.

“What happened?” Mark asks, still half in his room.

Making a noncommittal sound, Yugyeom sits up slightly and mumbles, “Nothing.”

Mark raises an eyebrow at that, and Yugyeom knows he’s not going to be able to escape questioning because Mark’s walking out of his room to the sofa. Passing Mark the cushion he likes to hug, Yugyeom decides to say, “You know the program I’m on, Wedded!, and how the actor, Park Jinyoung, is my pretend husband?”

“Yeah, he’s the guy who acts in that morning drama you always watch, right? What about it?”

Yugyeom rolls his eyes at the first comment but ignores it otherwise, not wanting to give Mark more reason to probe. “We had a shoot yesterday, and everything was going fine until I paid for the dinner, then Jinyoung got angry and huffed out of the shop.”

“Oh,” Mark hums, settling himself cross-legged on the sofa and thinking. “So you were wondering why he got angry just because you paid?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Yugyeom sighs, running a hand lazily through his hair. He’s not sure why _exactly_ Jinyoung’s upset that Yugyeom paid for the food just because he’s younger than Jinyoung. It’s not like Yugyeom doesn’t ever pay for his hyungs’ food. He’s never been one to be too fussy about who pays, and one of his group mates, Bambam, same-age but slightly older, always made use of that fact to escape paying for his own food. He tells Mark that, and Mark gives him a look like he’s thinking hard.

After a while, Mark asks, “Yugyeom, have you ever been on dates with guys?”

Yugyeom feels his brows scrunch together as he thinks. The answer is yes, and technically he can just tell Mark that – it’s not like Mark doesn’t know Yugyeom’s not completely straight anyway – but somehow he feels like that ( _that_ being the fact that he has gone on dates with guys, or rather a singular _guy_ , before) wasn’t something he wants to share. So shaking his head, Yugyeom answers, “No, not really. Why?”

Mark makes a face like that’s the reason to all his questions. Yugyeom tries not to roll his eyes as Mark replies, “Because… usually if you are on a date with a girl, the guy pays, right?”

“Uh-huh…” Yugyeom hums, wondering where this is going.

“Right, but if you’re on a date with a guy, how do you determine who pays?” Mark asks, spreading his hands out like he’s revealing a big insight.

“Uh… does it matter?” Yugyeom asks.

Mark rolls his eyes, but explains in a patient tone, “Yeah, it does. Even in America gay couples have arguments over who pays because hetero standards deem that the guy pays, but both people in the couple are guys. Sometimes people think that the person who pays is the one who is more “manly” than the other, which makes no sense, but it definitely happens anyway, because we are mostly socialized to be heteronormative.”

Yugyeom mulls the thought over. “So are you saying Jinyoung might be offended because I’m trying to assert that I’m more “manly” than he is?” He frowns as he says the last bit, wondering why it tastes so wrong rolling off his tongue. No one is more of a man than the other when they’re both men, right?

Mark shifts his head side to side, chewing on his lips before he says, “Could be. But you have to remember that that’s American or Western perceptions. In Korea, it’s usually the oldest person at the table to pay. And like, even though on dates the guy usually pays for the girl, when it comes to two guys, or two girls, usually the older one would pick up the tab. So it could be that this guy – Jinyoung was it? – feels like he should be the one to pay based on that perception.”

Yugyeom sighs. Jinyoung had said that he felt like he should pay because he’s the hyung, but until Yugyeom could ask him properly, he only has speculations to work off. Mark’s words offered him another perspective than just the hyung-should-pay angle though, but he’s not sure if Jinyoung’s even thinking like that. After all, even if they’re on a date, it’s a work-date for a pretend relationship. Taking in a deep breath, Yugyeom mumbles, “Thanks for talking to me, Mark, but I think I need to ask Jinyoung himself to know for sure.”

Mark doesn’t take offense at his brief thanks, just nods like he knows Yugyeom’s still thinking about it. After a beat, he says, “Anyway, it’s almost noon, want to grab lunch?”

Lunch sounds like a good distraction to take his mind off things, so Yugyeom agrees.

They walk to a diner near their dorms, Mark leading the way and Yugyeom following without asking where they’re headed to.  It’s only when Mark stops in front of a small but cosy little diner tucked into a corner off the main streets does Yugyeom notice where they’re having lunch. It’s where he had his first meal alone with Jinyoung, a few months after Jinyoung had joined as a trainee.

 

 

_“Where are we going?” Yugyeom asks, trailing after Jinyoung’s determined strides._

_“Somewhere away from the studio so we can talk,” Jinyoung mumbles, then suddenly stops. “Here.”_

_Yugyeom follows Jinyoung through the door, sitting down at the corner table Jinyoung chooses. He wonders what it is that’s so secretive that Jinyoung feels the need to bring Yugyeom all the way out to talk at a secluded diner off the main street, and to sit at a corner table when the place is already pretty much empty save for the shop keepers. He keeps his mouth shut though, letting Jinyoung order the food and waiting for Jinyoung to speak first. The guy doesn’t look like he’s in a particularly good mood, and Yugyeom’s not too sure why, but he’s not going to do anything to step on his toes if he can avoid it._

_Eventually, after the food arrives, Jinyoung speaks. “So… I know you overheard me talking to …another guy just now.”_

_Yugyeom feels his brows furrow. He’s not sure what Jinyoung is talking about. Which guy? What guy? When – Oh._

_“Are you talking about the guy in the baseball cap that you were talking to in the alley behind the company just now?”_

_“Yes,” Jinyoung sighs, then quickly looks over his shoulder. As if there’s anyone here who’s even listening to their conversation. Yugyeom doesn’t really understand why Jinyoung’s acting strangely, why he’s so paranoid. It’s not like he had heard their conversation either, Jinyoung and the other guy both speaking in hushed tones, and Yugyeom had really only gotten out of the building to stretch so he actually hadn’t even noticed that Jinyoung was talking to someone until Jinyoung suddenly looked up and the guy in the cap had quickly ran off. Yugyeom doesn’t get to say that he hadn’t actually overheard anything though, before Jinyoung’s talking again._

_“Look, I know you might think it’s weird and all, but it’s really important to me.”_

_Jinyoung’s fiddling with his thumbs, and Yugyeom doesn’t know if it’s rude to try to eat the tteokbokki in front of him right now, so he doesn’t. He wants to ask Jinyoung what he’s talking about exactly, but he doesn’t either, partly because Jinyoung looks really fidgety, and partly because he’s not sure if he should interrupt. Across the table, Jinyoung takes a large breath, before he says in a rush, “Look, I’m gay and I don’t care if you think it’s weird or not, but it’s really important that no one finds out, so can you please keep this a secret –“_

_“What?”_

_Yugyeom’s question is answered by an equally puzzled face, Jinyoung huffing, “Sheesh, I know you overheard me breaking up with my ex in the alley just now, don’t pretend like you didn’t put two and two together –“_

_This makes no sense at all, Yugyeom thinks, and he’s about to point out that he hadn’t heard anything at all, when Jinyoung says, “Whatever, I don’t care what you think about it, but just keep it a secret, okay? It’s going to affect me as a trainee if other people find out.”_

_It’s the last thing Jinyoung says before he takes out bills for the food they ordered, placing it on the table before he stands up to go. Yugyeom doesn’t get to say anything before Jinyoung’s already out of the door._

 

As the memories come back to him, clearer because Yugyeom’s eyes are scanning the diner, the interior almost the same as it had been when he first came here with Jinyoung, he realizes that perhaps that hadn’t really count as a first meal together at all, since Jinyoung had left before he even ate anything. Yugyeom had been the one to finish all the food then, just like Mark’s going to right now, because Yugyeom’s currently distracted and hasn’t moved his chopsticks.

“’Gyeom, you should eat up,” Mark says between mouthfuls of rice, and Yugyeom blinks, bringing his mind back to the present.

“I was going to,” Yugyeom mutters, picking up the dishes and trying not to let his mind wander. Now’s not a good time to be thinking of what happened in the past anyway., especially not when he has more memories of Jinyoung at this particular diner that he doesn’t really need to recall right now (there’s a reason why he doesn’t eat at this diner often, after all). Though, now that the memories are invading the front of his mind, Yugyeom suddenly realizes that Jinyoung had always been the one to pick up the tab when they did eat out last time. He wonders if that’s why Jinyoung was upset last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still trying to keep the suspense of how Jinyoung and Yugyeom know each other but there's more hints now ;) Also, hey, Mark appears.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll love to know what you think or if there's any guesses you may have about Jingyeom's past ^_^


	5. Ep. 3: Meeting HOT5 (PART 1)

After the previous filming session, Jinyoung’s not particularly looking forward to today’s one. He doesn’t know if Yugyeom would pretend the outburst at the diner didn’t happen for the show, or whether he’ll want to talk about it. Then again, maybe that’s the least of his worries, considering _who_ they have as guests for today’s episode.

Jinyoung sighs, only hoping things will go well with the filming today, fidgeting in the car as his manager pulls into a building he hasn’t been to in for a while.

 

 

_“They want to what?” Jinyoung asks, trying to keep his voice calm although he can feel the volume rising._

_His manager sighs from the other side of the phone, then says, “I know it’s short notice, but the producers think it’s time for you guys to meet each other’s close friends, get to know each other better and all. You need to find someone to bring. Maybe Jackson? He’s pretty popular lately, even if he produces more than he sings.”_

_Jinyoung rubs his eyes, mumbling some sounds of agreement, although that’s not the main worry on his mind at the moment. No, he can probably call someone even if it’s short notice – someone being most likely Jackson, because honestly Jinyoung doesn’t have that many close friends, let alone close friends who are celebrities – but the problem lies in the earlier bit of what his manager had said._

_“Is Yugyeom-ssi bringing his members?”_

_His manager clearly doesn’t think this is what Jinyoung had gotten hung up on, because he replies dismissively, “Of course he is. The viewers will expect him to; not to mention the production team is pretty much telling him to bring his members for this episode. HOT5’s going to boost the ratings! It’ll be good for you –“_

_At some point in his manager’s well-meaning speech about how Yugyeom and HOT5 can help him gather publicity, Jinyoung tunes out._

 

 

They’re in the parking lot of JYP building, his manager stepping out once he kills the engine. “Come on, let’s go,” his manager urges, hurrying him through the door where there are already fans eagerly waiting outside even though it’s still early in the morning. Jinyoung ducks his head, trying to ignore the flashes of light indicating that he’s getting photos taken and the fact that the fans are probably only interested in him because he’s fake-married to Yugyeom and would scarcely have paid him any heed if that wasn’t the case. He hurries into the building.

The inside of JYP building is still relatively how he remembers it from his trainee days, and if Jinyoung’s manager notices that he’s moving around the place without much difficulty, he doesn’t mention it (or maybe his manager is just glad that he doesn’t have to be the one to figure out how to navigate this new place because Jinyoung can already find his way around). The PD and crew are already in one of the bigger practice rooms, cameras set up and ready, and Jinyoung quickly walks in.

“Good morning,” Jinyoung greets politely, and is about to ask what they’re doing for today when Yugyeom enters. Yugyeom greets everyone, which isn’t surprising, but he only gives Jinyoung a quick, somewhat terse nod before he’s out of the room. It puzzles Jinyoung, but then the PD is telling him what they will be filming today, and he doesn’t have time to ponder.

 

 

Jinyoung’s asked to sit in the middle of the room where there’s seven chairs set up. He picks the one in the middle, just to keep the frame balanced more than because he wants the attention. A while later, the cameras start rolling, and Yugyeom walks in, a smile on his face, much brighter than the one he had on earlier.

“Morning, Jinyoung!”

“Good morning, Yugyeom,” Jinyoung replies, then wonders if he sounds too stilted. He gives a smile to make up for it, and waits for Yugyeom to sit. “So, why did you ask me to come here today?” Jinyoung asks, trying to make his starting line sound natural even though it’s one the PD had asked him to say. While Wedded! is a variety show, there’s still some rough script (or at least guidelines) to follow, and there’s more of that today because of the guests they’re having. This, the scripted lines with chairs set up and all, is probably the opening for that, Jinyoung thinks, except he has to do it in a way that makes it seem natural. (Oh, how his acting skills are being utilized…)

“Ah yeah,” Yugyeom answers like they’re having a normal conversation instead of repeating lines they’ve been told, “I thought it’s a good idea for us to meet each other’s friends. You know, get to know each other better and all. And since I’m really close to my members, I thought it’ll be good if you can meet them. I just hope they don’t embarrass me and make me regret doing this…”

Yugyeom had gone a little off-script at the end, but Jinyoung doesn’t mind. It makes Yugyeom sound more like himself instead of whoever had written their lines. The PD doesn’t say anything about it either, which is good, because Jinyoung takes that to mean _he_ can go off-script too, as long as it still gets the job of introducing their guests today done.

“Ahh, I see,” Jinyoung drags out. The next line in the script was to say something about HOT5, but it seems a bit awkward to do that now when he hasn’t been introduced to the members yet, so he looks around the familiar practice room, wondering how to continue the conversation. In a bid of nostalgia, Jinyoung finds himself absently mumbling the first thing that comes to his mind.

“I haven’t been in the JYP building for a while.”

That wasn’t what he meant to say at all, and Yugyeom looks at him with a slight tilt of his head, like he’s wondering what Jinyoung’s doing. Jinyoung’s wondering the same thing himself – he had expected his trainee history with JYP to come up today at some point – it’s inevitable with where they’re at, and who he’s going to meet later – but he hadn’t expected himself to be the one to let the information slip.

“Hmm, since your trainee days huh?” Yugyeom eventually replies lightly, like he isn’t sure if he should say it. Though, to be honest, given how they would be meeting HOT5 today, Jinyoung has already resigned himself to the fact that this bit of his history would be revealed (well, not by his own slip-up, but what’s done is done). His only question now is _how much_ would be revealed in today’s filming.

From the corner of his eyes, Jinyoung see the PD frown slightly, like this is news for him. It probably is. Jinyoung doesn’t publicize the fact that he used to be a JYP trainee and very few people know about it, although he’s sure that if the production team had dug harder, they would have learnt the fact for themselves. Jinyoung’s saved from having to say anything though, because there’s suddenly a knock on the door.

“Gyeomie, we’re here!”

“Hey!” Yugyeom greets as he stands up to get the door, letting in four guys, three of whom look like they’re about as happy to be here as Jinyoung (which is not much), and one of them bouncing off the walls.

“Is this your new husband?” the energetic one says, and Jinyoung’s about to tell him – tell _Bambam_ – to stop, but Yugyeom’s already holding his shoulders, pulling him back from his exaggerated movements.

“Yes,” Yugyeom answers, the same time Jinyoung says, “You say it like Yugyeom has had other husbands before me.”

He meant it as a lighthearted joke, but Bambam pouts, whining. “ _Hyung_ , you know what I mean!”

Bambam’s response is met with a light smack on his head from one of the quieter members – Mark, the one who had publicly announced that he’s gay, which had been a big piece of news a while back – and Jinyoung has to stifle his laughter at Bambam being kept in line.

“Bambam, don’t make Jinyoung-ssi feel uncomfortable. Why are you calling him _hyung?_ Have some manners, even if he’s Yugyeom’s husband,” Mark chides without harshness, but Bambam just puffs out his lower lip.

“But I’m not making him uncomfortable,” Bambam answers, throwing a look in Jinyoung’s direction, making everyone turn his way.

With so many pairs of eyes suddenly on him – Yugyeom, the HOT5 members, the production team – Jinyoung suddenly feels pressured. Raising his hands in a defensive stance, he gets out, “I-I’m fine. Really.”

Mark doesn’t look like he really believes him, but then he clearly doesn’t think it’s something to argue about, so he just shrugs. With the other four HOT5 members standing around, the room suddenly feels a little cramped, and it seems like Yugyeom notices this as well, because he claps his hands together.

“Okay, how about Jinyoung and I move to the chairs on the far right, and the four of you can sit on the left.”

Yugyeom’s instructions have everyone moving, Jinyoung included, and they’re settling down when Bambam says, “There’s one chair left,” pointing to the empty chair on his side.

“Oh erm, I have a friend coming later,” Jinyoung answers, which seems to satisfy everyone, so they finally start the “getting to know your husband’s friends better” bit of the show.

 

 

The first thing they do is introductions.

“So, these are my members,” Yugyeom says, then gestures at Jinyoung, “And this is Park Jinyoung, my…erm, husband.”

Yugyeom’s face turns slightly red at the last word, but Jinyoung tries to ignore it. He decides to say instead, “Aren’t you going to introduce each of your members to me?”

Yugyeom’s flush deepens, probably from embarrassment, but he nods, “R-right, of course.” If Jinyoung wasn’t so worried about today’s filming, he’ll take the time to note how flustered Yugyeom is (and no, it’s not because it’s cute, it’s just funny to see).

Had Jinyoung been the one doing introductions, he’ll probably would have started from the leader, but apparently Yugyeom prefers starting from whoever is seated at the end, because he points out Bambam first.

“So, the one at the end is Bambam. He’s the same age as me and we’re really close in the group.”

From where he’s seated, Bambam gives a short bow, waving, and Jinyoung smiles back. “Hi, Bambam.”

“Hi hyung,” Bambam grins.

At the word _hyung_ , Mark gives Bambam a brief cursory glance but doesn’t react otherwise, although he turns to look at Jinyoung briefly. Jinyoung tries not to notice or fidget under the steady gaze. Because Mark is seated next to Bambam, he ends up being the next one Yugyeom introduces.

“Beside Bambam is Mark hyung. Mark hyung is the oldest in the group, and he’s a quiet guy but he has some interesting views on things if you can get him to talk.”

Mark gives Yugyeom raised brows at the introduction but doesn’t protest, just nods at Jinyoung. “Hello, I’m Mark. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, I’m Jinyoung.”

Next up is a smiley guy Yugyeom introduces as Youngjae, and Jinyoung greets him as well. “Hi Youngjae, nice to meet you.” Youngjae gives a polite and cheery greeting in reply, eyes creased into crescents from smiling the whole time.

The last person Yugyeom introduces is the one seated next to him.

“And last but not least, this is Jaebum hyung, HOT5’s leader. He looks scary and he’s really stern when he wants to be, but he’s also the best leader we can ask for.”

Jinyoung’s about to greet him as he had with the other members, but Jaebum speaks before he has the chance to say anything.

“Hi, Jinyoung. How are you doing? I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

The room suddenly grows quiet. Mark and Youngjae turn to look at Jaebum quizzically, and Bambam spares a glance at Jinyoung, although Jinyoung’s focus is on Yugyeom and Jaebum. He’s wondering what’s the best thing to say – how much to say – when Yugyeom clears his throat.

“Ah yeah, it’s been a while since Jinyoung was a trainee here, right?”

_Right_ , he had already said that earlier before HOT5 came in, and it’s a safe fact to reveal, so Jinyoung picks up where Yugyeom left off. “Yeah, it’s been… hmm… nine years since I was a trainee here at JYP.” There’re still some questioning looks thrown his way, so Jinyoung adds, “Jaebum-ssi was already a trainee here when I joined.”

The PD’s leaning forward in his seat, like he can’t decide if he wants to interrupt to ask something, but he pauses when Mark asks, “So, you know Jaebum?”

“Sort of,” Jinyoung replies.

Jaebum looks amused at his response, but Jinyoung doesn’t say anything else, avoiding Jaebum’s eyes as discreetly as he can (maybe he can chalk it up to being tsundere again).

But apparently Jinyoung’s reply is not to Jaebum’s satisfaction, because he decides to answer Mark’s question again, “Yeah, Jinyoung and I know each other.” There’s a pause, then he turns to Jinyoung. “You know, you can still call me hyung like you used to, instead of referring to me as Jaebum-ssi. It feels weird… too formal.”

Jinyoung vaguely wonders if he should have tried contacting Jaebum before filming to ask him not to reveal too much of his past. He doesn’t mind people finding out that he used to be an idol trainee, but what he is afraid of are the links people might draw to _other things_ once they realized he used to train in JYP.

(Then again, maybe he should have worried about that _before_ he agreed to do this show, although it wasn’t like Jinyoung had much choice when his manager had told him about the job. And in his defense, Jinyoung hadn’t exactly known that he was going to get paired with _Yugyeom_ when he agreed to do this.)

Still, it won’t do him any good to worry about that now, so Jinyoung just nods as he observes the PD lean back in his seat (maybe Mark had asked the question he wanted to raise?). He manages to calm himself down enough to say the next bit in a breezy tone, even if he doesn’t actually feel relaxed. “Yeah, I should probably just call you hyung huh? Especially since I’m now married to Yugyeom. I guess this makes us in-laws or something, hmm, _hyung_?”

“Yeah, I guess we _are_ in-laws now, huh,” Jaebum laughs, causing Yugyeom to punch him lightly in the shoulder.

“Don’t say embarrassing things!”

Jinyoung would be grateful that Yugyeom’s looking out for him, but the reminder of why he’s here today (why he has to meet HOT5 and most likely have his trainee history dug out for the entertainment of the viewers) makes his cheeks warm. Hiding his face behind his fringe, Jinyoung goes for looking politely embarrassed, instead of suddenly mortified. _Get your act together, Jinyoung, this is just a show_ , he tells himself. The producers would probably love the fact that he’s hiding his face from embarrassment because it makes good footage, but what they don’t know is _why_ Jinyoung is so easily flustered today.

 

 

They have a short break after the introductions, and Jinyoung’s grabbing a drink when Yugyeom comes up to him. Normally he would get away from Yugyeom as quickly as he can once filming ends, but today he’s kind of stuck, still under the watchful eye of the crew as they set things up for when their next guest arrives, so he stays put.

“Hey,” Jinyoung says after a few moments of awkward silence. He doesn’t know what to add, doesn’t know how to behave when it’s just him and Yugyeom without the expectations of a pretend marriage, so he waits.

After a while, Yugyeom gives him a look, heavy with something although Jinyoung can’t tell _what_ exactly, before he quietly says, “I… If… If you’re worrying about –” there’s a weird gesture Yugyeom makes with his hand which doesn’t mean anything before he continues – “uhm, _stuff_ , don’t worry. I told Jaebum hyung and Bambam not to say too much.”

_Oh_. Maybe he shouldn’t be surprised that Yugyeom knows what has been weighing on his mind since he had realized that he’s meeting HOT5 today, but he still kind of is. Jinyoung has forgotten how perceptive Yugyeom can be, despite his usual carefree attitude.

There’s nothing much he can say beside “thanks”, so Jinyoung is about to open his mouth to say that, when someone enters noisily.

“Sorry I’m late!” a shout comes from the relative location of the door. With so many crew members between him and the door, Jinyoung can’t see who it is, but he recognizes the voice easily – Jackson’s here.

 

 

He had been slightly apprehensive about calling Jackson in for today’s filming, but Jinyoung didn’t have anyone else to bring as a good friend, and he figured telling Jackson what he shouldn’t be talking about during filming should be as good a precaution as any. Jackson doesn’t have the best brain-to-mouth filter when he starts talking, but he’s not so tactless that he would babble what Jinyoung doesn’t want people to find out in a practice room filled with the crew of Wedded! and HOT5 members. So it figures that it isn’t Jackson who says something he shouldn’t.

In fact, _no one_ actually _says_ anything they shouldn’t (except Jinyoung earlier, but that had been a _small_ slip-up). But apparently, the PD still picks up on _something_ , because he calls Jinyoung over five minutes before they’re supposed to start filming the next half of the episode.

Jinyoung makes his way over to the PD’s beckoning hand, trying not to show that he’s nervous. _He could just be calling you over to tell you something about the script_ , Jinyoung comforts himself, although he knows one of the writer-noonas had already told him what he needs to know about the next part of filming. Ignoring the urge to dry his palms on his pants, Jinyoung puts on a smile. “Yes?”

“I knew you were inviting Jackson, but how could you not tell me both of you used to be trainees with JYP?”

He doesn’t know how the PD suddenly knows this when he had been clearly surprised by Jinyoung’s revelation earlier that he used to train under JYP, but he figured that someone probably went digging around records during the break (or maybe they just asked some JYP staff about it while they’re conveniently within the building). Jinyoung keeps his expression neutral and polite, replying evenly, “I didn’t think it would be relevant.”

The PD gives him a look like he’s crazy, or maybe a little green, like Jinyoung doesn’t know how the entertainment industry works (he _does_ , he just didn’t want to volunteer too much information).

“Jinyoung-ssi, of course it’s relevant! The viewers will love the fact that you used to train at the same agency as Yugyeom-ssi, and it’s even better because we know you know Jaebum-ssi as well, so we can play that up in the conversation later. And the fact that your good friend, Jackson-ssi, used to be a trainee here, well, that’s really great too. We’ll have loads to talk about after we introduce Jackson-ssi. Now, is there anything else that you want to tell us before we start filming?”

Jinyoung shakes his head, breathing an inner sigh of relief that the PD hadn’t found out anything _more_. But it turns out he might be rejoicing too early, because he sees a sweep of long hair, and Jimin appears at the door, waving excitedly –

“Jinyoung oppa! Hi! Bambam told me you were here filming and I had to come down to see for myself. I didn’t think I’ll ever get to see you standing next to HOT5 after you left the group –“

And Jinyoung thinks, _Okay, that’s not too bad_ , _they might not have picked up on the significance of what she said_ , but his luck is crap, because the PD interjects –

“Left what group?”

Jimin’s eyes are genuinely innocent when she answers, but Jinyoung still feels a bit like strangling her, beloved dongsaeng or not.

“Oh, left HOT5 before they debuted, of course!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I updated this, but I hope the slightly longer chapter makes up for it. I had to split Ep. 3 up since it got longer than I intended, so the next chapter will still be Ep. 3. Are things getting a bit clearer? Or did the introduction of HOT5 and Jackson make things more confusing? Haha.
> 
> By the way, I just used Park Jimin from 15& for the last bit in the chapter because I don't actually follow much JYP artistes, and she's the same age as Yugyeom and Bambam so I figured why not, especially since I've seen her interact with GOT7 from ASC. It's more important what she says, than who she is, so yeah. Let me know what you think about this chapter :)
> 
> And, if anyone's interested in what else I've been doing between updates, I've been writing INFINITE fanfic recently (in addition to already writing Block B fics), so check out my recent fics [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cian1675/works) if you're interested :) I'm pretty proud of ["Destiny"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8701960/chapters/19950823) (an Infinite fic) and ["For you I'll do anything"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8481802/chapters/19436086) (a Block B fic), just to name 2 recently completed ones.


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